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Moira Mireault, 31, is marketing manager with Alberta-based Campers Village, a family-owned outdoor retailer operating stores in Edmonton and Calgary. While traditional marketing and advertising are part of her work, increasingly she is using social media to launch new products, promote in-store events, and connect with consumers.

“I feel like a kid in a playground with many different and interesting activities that can all be used to connect and resonate with consumers,” she says.

One of her most interesting campaigns engaged people on multiple platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, and encouraged them to try a new outdoor activity such as kayaking, snowshoeing or survival skills, she says. “It was the first time we had used a multi-channel approach to bring people into the store. The incremental growth in traffic made it successful enough to repeat.”

The retail backroom was not Mireault’s original career choice. She initially had her eyes set on a position in the Barbados office of one of the world’s largest accounting firms. But one of her university professors suggested she was more suited to marketing. “It was an interesting shift,” she says.

Working in a small business offers plenty of opportunity to try new things, says Mireault. “I like to think outside of the box. Playing in the online world allows people like me to see tangible results quickly.”

There is a growing need for marketers with this kind of experience, she adds. “We are becoming a stronger asset. We are the people monitoring conversations, tagging onto those conversations, and helping to reflect them back in a positive way.”

The ability to filter and streamline information and to think and act quickly are critical, says Mireault. “Conversations online happen at the drop of a pin, if you’re not engaged immediately, things can go sideways just as quickly.”

Retail has been going through some fundamental shifts since 2008 and is ready for those who have continued to reinvent themselves and show leadership and calm during times of significant change, says Cindy Martin, senior manager of human resources with Future Shop in Vancouver. These individuals can be highly suited to cross-functional teams and non-traditional roles within organizations, she says.

Backroom positions have changed significantly over the last decade, adds Martin. With the evolution toward e-commerce there is a need to use these functions differently and more effectively, she says. For example, she cites accounting and data analytics as areas that can help determine where investments in such things as infrastructure and staffing are made.

“It’s wise for those in backroom professions to keep their mind open to the possibilities,” says Martin. “We’ve seen individuals cross between disciplines into more frontline-type functions. This can provide an exciting career trajectory for those who want it.”

When hiring for the backroom at Future Shop, Martin and her team look for candidates with a passion for retail, an interest in problem solving and a love of working in a fast paced environment. “There’s certainly a ‘cool factor’ to working for Future Shop and I’ve never been bored in my 11 years with the company. It’s been a great career.”

For those considering a backroom career in retail, it is important to gain knowledge and experience early on; advanced training through business schools is increasingly important. Formal education provides the guidance, tools and research on which to build a career; internships and co-op placements offer the opportunity to apply practical knowledge to real world situations, says Mireault, “and that is the first step toward the rest of your career.”

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